Stuck halfway up her home elevator during a power outage, a wealthy widow finds herself powerless to stop thieves who wreck and loot her home in this aptly titled thriller starring Olivia de Havilland. It all sounds quite lurid and watching the film is far from pleasant, however, things get very interesting towards the end as de Havilland's mothering comes under scrutiny and as we are treated to more and more exterior shots. While almost all the action is mainly confined to her home, it is what occurs (or does not occur) outside that is most interesting. None of the passers-by or drivers on the busy road outside her home react at all to the panic alarm bell that she frequently rings (until one thief disconnects it). There are also several grisly occurrences on the porch of her house, but again nobody seems to notice and a plethora of cutaways to cars zooming past without stopping injects incredible tension. The acting almost sinks the film though. James Caan is excellent in an early career performance as the slightly unhinged leader of the gang, but de Havilland seems to be in a scenery-chewing competition with co-star Jeff Corey. The way de Havilland constantly narrates her thoughts aloud also comes off as annoying unnatural. The vast majority of the film is good news though. It is hardly the most delightful or subtle social commentary thriller under the sun, but it does manage to make some interesting points about how detached we tend to be from tragedy around us as per an unforgettable early shot of a young girl running her skates over a homeless man's legs.
Review of Lady in a Cage
